Editing Bennington Township, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Bennington Township, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[Civil township]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map        = Michigan#USA
| pushpin_label_position = left<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label      = Bennington Township
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = Bennington Township, MI location.png
| mapsize            = 250
| map_caption        = Location within [[Shiawassee County, Michigan|Shiawassee County]]

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Michigan]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Shiawassee County, Michigan|Shiawassee]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Supervisor
| leader_name        = Cody Baker
| leader_title1      = [[Municipal clerk|Clerk]]
| leader_name1       = Donna Ash
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 1838

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 36.81
| area_land_sq_mi    = 35.48
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.33

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 3119
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 251
| elevation_ft       = 823
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|55|10|N|84|13|04|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code|ZIP code(s)]]
| postal_code        = 48848 ([[Laingsburg, Michigan|Laingsburg]])<br>48857 ([[Morrice, Michigan|Morrice]])<br>48867 ([[Owosso, Michigan|Owosso]])
| area_code          = [[Area code 989|989]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-07280<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1625913<ref>{{gnis|1625913}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|http://www.bennington-township.org/|Official website}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Bennington Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Shiawassee County, Michigan|Shiawassee County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]].  As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the township population was 3,119.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Bennington_township,_Shiawassee_County,_Michigan?g=060XX00US2615507280 |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>  Bennington Township is the [[center of population]] of the state of Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|last=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/centers-population.html|title=Centers of Population: 2010|date=2020|access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref>

The township was established in 1838 and was named after [[Bennington, Vermont|Bennington]], [[Vermont]], which was the former home of the first settlers in the area.<ref name="tap">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9T4iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sqwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1568%2C1275079 | title=Ghost towns and post offices of Shiawassee County | work=The Argus-Press | date=September 15, 2000 | access-date=30 April 2015 | pages=3}}</ref>

==Communities==
*'''Bennington''' is an unincorporated community in the township. It is located at {{Coord|42|56|07|N|84|14|31|W|}}<ref>{{gnis|621121|Bennington, Michigan}}</ref> at Bennington and Ruess roads.
*'''Pittsburg''' is an [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated community]] in the township. Pittsburg was named for Moses Pitts, the original owner of the town site.<ref name="tap"/> It is located at latitude {{Coord|42|53|33|N|84|13|19|W|}}.<ref>{{gnis|635058|Pittsburg, Michigan}}</ref>

==History==
The first government land purchase was made by Samuel Nichols, Israel Parsons and Benjamin Powers in 1835. Nichols became the first settler in Bennington.<ref name="tap"/>

At a location called Hartwellville, the first store was opened by Giles Tucker. In 1838, Johnathon M. Hartwell, formerly of Norwich, NY, took over from Tucker.<ref name="tap"/>

Bennington Township was organized on March 6, 1838, with the area of township area 5 North Range 2, the future Perry Township, split off from Shiawassee Township.<ref name="tap0">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CWAiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RqsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1170%2C226866 | title=County Also Marks 150 | work=The Argus-Press | date=July 1, 1986 | access-date=4 May 2015 | author=Epstein, Michael | pages=F11}}</ref> The first township supervisor was Lemuel Castle.<ref name="tap"/> Perry Township was separated off by an act on March 15, 1841.<ref name="tap0"/> A rail station was opened at the Bennington community.<ref name="mpn">{{cite book |last1=Romig |first1=Walter |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |date=1986 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |isbn=9780814318386 |page=55 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-FPXEGRo-YC&q=Bennington&pg=PA56 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

On February 11, 1841, Hartwell became the first postmaster for the Hartwell post office. On December 13, 1848, a post office was opened in Bennington village with first postmaster Benjamin Davis.<ref name="tap"/>

By 1878, there was a hamlet called Alton in the township. Alton was 8/10 of a mile west of Morrice Road on Grand River Trail.  The hamlet later abandoned becoming a ghost town.<ref name="tap"/>

The Hartwell family served as postmaster until the Hartwell office closed on January 15, 1901. Later Hartwellville was abandoned. The Bennington post office was discontinued on February 28, 1958.<ref name="tap"/>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|36.81|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|35.48|sqmi|km2|2}} is land and {{convert|1.33|sqmi|km2|2}} (3.61%) is water.<ref name="CENS">{{cite web |date=September 2012 |title=Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019111423/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-19 |access-date=May 1, 2020 |work=[[2010 United States Census]] |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |page=42 Michigan}}</ref>

Both the Maple and [[Looking Glass Rivers]] flow through Bennington Township.

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 3,168 people, 1,252 households, and 906 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|82.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,252 housing units at an average density of {{convert|30.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the township was 97.58% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.17% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.30% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.46% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.53% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.96% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 1,252 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.6% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the township the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $54,786, and the median income for a family was $61,564. Males had a median income of $40,465 versus $31,528 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $21,841.  About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Highways==
*{{jct|state=MI|I|69}} is accessible via exit 105 about {{convert|2|mi|km|1}} south of the township.
*{{jct|state=MI|MI|52}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Shiawassee County, Michigan}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]
[[Category:Townships in Shiawassee County, Michigan]]
[[Category:1838 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1838]]